Living Life's Greatest Adventure

October 13, 2017

The Adventure Continues – October Update

Hello from Redding, Santa Cruz, CA, Portland,OR, Camas, WA, Jackson Hole, WY. WOW, do you think I could pack more into one month. I am grateful for for spontaneity. My life this past month has been full of Adventure and good times. I have experienced so much in these few days. I have enjoyed some great times and some long and tiring days yet it all has been all been worth it. My featured picture is a chapel at the base of the Grand Teton Mountain Range. It is the Chapel of transfiguration an Episcopal chapel. It seemed fitting to be at a place like this. A place that represented my roots but also the transformation that the Lord has done in my life.

God has truly blessed me this month. It started off with a trip to Santa Cruz/Monterey CA for a weekend Create Conference. The trips we go on this year are to help people discover how they can create with God and use creativity to touch others and to bring transformation to their cities. It was our first opportunity to serve as a team together. There are about 12 of us who work with Mama T(T short for Theresa). We each have a unique form of creativity that we specialize in. We also had the opportunity to learn how we each ministered together. We were able to help this community to learn to create together and bring transformation.

After returning life in Redding life went into full swing. I was able to paint in First and Second year and received my Third year student badge. I had a chance to hike up to whiskeytown falls. It was during this hike that the Lord impressed in my heart that my year would be a lot like the hike I took. There would be times I would be pressing hard to get to the next place and that when i needed to I would need to stop and take a rest. It is very important that we rest during seasons of bus-i-ness. We must find the balance between the two. I would say the became very event to me after the end of the month. I am a bit behind in getting this update out because of the busy schedule. Things are now settling down a little and we are beginning to find our rhythm. On the anniversary of Paul’s death I had the opportunity to pray and take the day away at a local Vineyard. It was a beautiful place. The winemaker there is a friend of one of my good friends and they had asked me to come there. My friend Laura is the one who ended up with my Sunflower painting. I did not get any bids when i placed it online. Laura had love the painting from the first day I painted it. The Lord impressed on me to give it to her and tell her to pay what the Holy Spirit would have her to pay. The day I went to the vineyard was the day she paid me for the painting it was above what I expected to get. The Lord continues to bless me in special ways on the anniversary of Paul’s death. It has been 6 years since he died. It is hard to believe that it has been that long. With the end of this year it marks a new place for me. God marked it in another unique way. I started a 40 day challenge to create something everyday for 40 days. The first day was the anniversary of his death. I open my book and it said draw a Phoenix. The Phoenix represents coming out of the ashes and rising up in power and authority. So when it was my turn to paint on stage again on Friday that is what I painted. I have been working with some new kinds of paints and I have really found some I truly like. I love the vibrancy of these paints and their fluidity. They have taken my paintings to new levels.

I did more exploring when i took a quick trip to Oregon and Washington to see some tiny homes and reconnect with some good friends from Texas. I had a great weekend with the Lehman Family. We played games, made waffles, had a church conference and we learned how to do art with God. I also had a chance to see a few tiny homes while there. It was refreshing. I found it interesting how the Lehman’s were able to bless me with the house they were living in which was a great home for such a big family. Especially because, how I was there to look at ways that helps people live more simply. That is the way I live right now, simply. I don’t have a lot yet what I do have is important to me. It was a good way to see how we can live both ways big and small. When we live big it allows us to reach out to others and be a blessing to them. When we live small it allows us to not have a lot tying us into bigger responsibilities. Someday soon I would like to have a place to call home again. I just don’t know where I will land on this topic. I guess for now it will remain a mystery.

God is full of mystery and majesty. I was able to experience both on my most recent trip to Wyoming. I must say that I have lived all over the world and I have seen mountains in many places. But few can compare to the Grand Tetons. We left Redding before the dawn and came into Jackson Hole under the cover of night. I was actually happy about that as it would allow for all of us to experience the Glory of God in it’s fullness. I do not usually cry over mountains but when we came around the turn and saw these mountains for the first time I wept. They were so beautiful. I was truly bless to see this beauty before me. There is something about being in the mountains that brings great peace to my heart. We were blessed by this place in many ways. Our hostess was very wonderful and blessed us not only with her home and family, but also with her wonderful cooking skills. When you have had meatballs made by a true Italian with elk meat there is no going back. We were able to return the favor at the church here. They were really blessed in the conference we held there. They saw great fruit in both their church and in the community. I was truly touched on this trip. Upon our return we went right into more ministry with the Open Heavens conference and then went into meeting with the City of Redding about the city service i am leading this year. We will be highlighting the people in the city who make a difference in this community. We will be honoring them by taking a photo shoot and then drawing a portrait and writing their story. So I have been running hard for a short while but now, it was a just like the Lord showed me on the hike a season of great effort and then a season of rest. So now I have finally have a place to take a breath. So I am able to bring everyone up to date with all that is going on.

I have many more travels ahead of me. It seems like it has been longer than a month and a half. Yet in looking at the way school had gone in the previous years those months can fly by quickly. I am seeking the Lord for what the future looks like next year. It is my hope to travel some more. I do not have a regular income. I do have a travel fund that you may donate to if you would like to partner with me in these travels.

I am not required to go on every trip. Yet if I have the funds I can go on all of them. I have until tomorrow at midnight to decide if I am traveling on a mission trip this year. I am leaning toward not going because of my position at school and with the School of Creativity which will be happening in May. It will require too much time away before this event. You have an opportunity to partner with what the Lord is doing through me on these trips. I understand in these times we are in, that it is not always easy to give. I do trust the Lord. He has not taken me this far to cause me to fail. I have begun to get some offers from places that would love for me to come with them and partner with what God is doing in their neck of the woods. I am not ready by any means to decide that right now. I know the Lord has me on a journey and His course is set. I just need to keep stepping in the direction He is taking me. I would love for you more than giving to partner with me in prayer.

Please Pray

For safe travels

For more of my paintings to sell or for other opportunities to open up with my art.

For me to find a good balance between work and rest.

For my team of people that I am leading to be encouraged and grow in the Lord.

Thank you so much for your prayer and support I could not have made this journey without you. Once again I always enjoy hearing back from you and welcome your partnership in my adventures.